It’s not about You: Applications from 1 Corinthians
“It allowed me to recognize one thing: it’s about God, and not about me”
Hello there, my name is Bryan. I am a member of the College and Young Adults ministry at Midtown Baptist Temple and I am also part of Friends of Internationals, a ministry that focuses on reaching out to international students in Kansas City. Currently, C&YA is going through the book of 1 Corinthians, and I was asked to give a brief reflection on the past few messages we’ve heard from Pastor Brandon. Initially, there were mixed thoughts and doubts in my mind while agreeing to write this reflection, which actually ties in to what I heard from God throughout this series!
To give a brief introduction of who I am, I was born in Malaysia, and I’m currently studying at UMKC for my bachelor’s degree in computer science. While growing up, I was raised in a pretty strict household. Don’t get me wrong, my parents were very loving. I know that from the bottom of their heart, all they want is the best for me. However, because of that, they really valued my grades, and comparing between my friends became a norm. Naturally, grades became how I evaluated my self-worth in comparison with my friends in school. I became very obsessed with how well my grades looked, and how well I did in comparison with my peers. After I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, this fleshly habit of comparing myself with others bled into my ministry as well.
I chose to reflect on Brandon's message from 1 Cor 1:26-31, titled Faith to be a Fool, because it allowed me to recognize one thing: it’s about God, and not about me. It showed me that it isn’t about anything that I can do for God, and it isn’t about how I am great or perfect in a certain area of ministry. God desires to use me and that is it, despite how weak or foolish I am. It is that simple. Moving to the message, in 1 Cor. 1:26-31, Paul addressed multiple groups of people in Corinth: those who were wise, mighty, and noble, and those who were weak, foolish, and despised.
In verse 26, Paul points to those who were wise, mighty and noble. These groups of people represent those in our lives who society deems to be in a “higher” class than the rest of the “normal” people, such as those who have a higher education or those who have life figured out all by themselves. They are blinded by their own pride and status so much that they can’t know the things of God! Only by humbling themselves and getting rid of their pride can they truly receive the gospel. They need to see their need for Christ in order to accept Christ.
However, in verses 27 to 29, Paul described people who were completely opposite of the men described in verse 26. This will be the main section of the message I’ll be camping out in. While going through this passage, Brandon gave a brief historical context on the church in Corinth. During this time, the church in Corinth was filled with a diverse group of people: masters and slaves, wealthy and poor. Due to their fleshly identity, it was easy for one in that church to feel like they were restricted to serving God in the ministry. Similarly, C&YA includes a wide variety of people with different talents, skills and education level. It is amazing. Praise the Lord for how he brought such very different people together through Christ, because without him, I’m pretty sure that some of us would’ve never met one another! Yet this becomes a danger because it allows for individuals to compare against one another. I am no exception to this. As previously mentioned, because of the habit I cultivated growing up, comparing myself with my peers, I find myself comparing myself with other brothers in my ministry as well. Although in 2 Cor. 10:12 the Bible clearly states that comparing amongst ourselves isn’t wise at all, I still find myself determining my worth to the ministry by comparison.
“It doesn’t matter how weak or foolish you are, God desires to use you”
Truth be told, I am quite an introverted person, and I convinced myself that because of how awkward I am, I don’t fit in well and I am not as useful to the ministry. I began comparing myself with someone who has a better communication skill than I do, and seeing how I wasn’t able to fit that role. I thought that because I am not social enough, I can’t be used by God as much as that person can. However, God chose the foolish to confound the wise. God chose to use me. Yes, I am foolish, but because I am a fool, God can use me. That brings so much comfort to me! Brandon gave the example of how God used the mouth of a donkey to silence Balaam, and questions that if God can use a donkey, can’t God use us as well? Do you find yourself in the similar spot as me? Are you constantly comparing yourself, thinking that you are not fit for the ministry because you’re not as “good” as any particular person in the ministry? Well, I have good news for you. It doesn’t matter how weak or foolish you are, God desires to use you! Praise the Lord for that, because I don’t have to be great; He desires to use me just as the fool I am.
The second group of people Paul addressed were the weak people. God uses the weak people. An example Brandon gave was from Acts 17:6, where God used fishermen, normal ordinary fishermen, not heroes or kings, to turn the world upside down! How crazy is that!? This brings me so much assurance. I don’t have to be strong or be the greatest. Our weaknesses or the “setbacks” we think we have do not stop God from using us. Again, it is very easy for someone to look into their lives and see their failures and setbacks, and determine that God can’t use them. Maybe you doubt that God would want to use you because you are weak in a particular area in your life. If that describes you at all, I encourage you to look into 2 Corinthians 12:
2 Cor. 12:8-9 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
In this verse, Paul asks God to take away this weakness that he has. It even says that Paul asked the Lord three times for it to be removed. Instead of removing the weakness that was present in Paul’s life, God responded with his grace. He said that his grace was sufficient for Paul. God didn’t have to take the weakness away; God’s grace was sufficient for Paul because through his weakness can God show His strength! Paul then claims that he glories in his infirmities. Why? Because when he is weak, he is made strong. Man, this gives me so much comfort to know that I can rely on the grace of God in my weaknesses. Sure, I am weak and there are weaknesses in my life that I have identified, but God can use those weaknesses of mine for His glory. It’s so comforting to know that I don’t have to have everything figured out, that I don’t have to have all my problems or weaknesses solved, but that God can show His strength through my weakness. It is because I have my weakness that God’s strength can shine through it. Believer, what about you? Are you constantly talking yourself down because of this weakness you identified in your life? If so, I encourage you to lean on the grace of God and trust that God can use you even in your weakness.
The third group of people Paul addresses in this passage are the base, the despised, and the not. Brandon made a point that the world throws away their own, and that after being used by the world, it throws you away. The joy of being a believer is that although the world orphans you, you are adopted by the Heavenly Father and you become his child. We have a home in Christ. The question is, do we actually live this truth out? Although the world first threw us away, a lot of us try to run back to the world. We return to the things that made us broken in the first place, forgetting that we are no longer of the world. We are of Christ. Do we run back to the sins that only give us momentarily comfort and leave us in a state of depression, or do we rest in the fact that we are the children of an Almighty God?
Rom 8:15-17 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
“We have no place to glory but to glory in God”
The last group of people Paul addressed were the not. These people were the ones who were the “forbidden” people, outside of a particular system, like the Gentiles to the Jews. But, they are now accepted and received in Christ, made free of the systems around them. We are made free of the systems behind the world. We no longer have to be constrained or limited to live within the system the world builds upon itself. Because of that, Brandon said, our lives ought to be distinct. Our lives, how we go about our day to day lives, how we talk, does it point to something greater? When we interact with the lost, do they wonder where our source of joy is? As believers who are saved from eternal damnation, it is funny how depressing we are at times. We are saved from hell! We should be the happiest people on the planet, yet that is not always the case. It challenged me to think and consider, if someone were to look into my life, can they really see joy in my life? Can they see that I am different compared to the rest of the sad and broken world, or am I just another piece in the puzzle?
Now all these points may sound really sad and depressing, but the key is in the response: faith and humility. Maybe I may have lost you throughout this blog, but I pray that this is the one thing you can leave this reflection away with: it was never about you or me, it is and will always be about God’s glory. Sure, we can beat ourselves up about how weak we are or how foolish we are. But recognize that that itself is pride. Pride is found even in self-deprecation. Brandon said that some of the most prideful people he knew were the self-deprecating ones, and I agree. Why? Because in the end, it is all about them. It doesn’t matter if it is in a good or bad way, the focus and attention is still on them. If God said in his word that he will use you, why not believe and have faith that he will? Don’t be so caught up in how weak you are in the flesh, but trust that he will use you despite of that. Let us humble ourselves and have faith that God will use us, and yield to his Spirit.
Lastly, now that we know it isn’t about us (hopefully, if not please read from the beginning of the blog again) and that it is all about God’s glory, we ought to be very careful in how we approach ministry. Brandon warns that when we rely on our flesh to do ministry, we are in danger of messing everything up. I don’t know about you, but that sounds very scary to me. God forbid that because I refuse to rely on the Spirit, and choose to rely on my flesh, that it causes me to mess up everything that God is doing. We need to understand God’s glory. Are we in awe of it? Do you have that sparkle in your heart when you hear a testimony of how God is working in another believer’s life? Are you in awe of His creation and His work? Losing this puts us in danger of pride. Let us examine our hearts daily and find joy in the things of God, how beautiful his word is, and how he is working in our lives! Furthermore, when he uses you, do you boast in yourself or are you giving God the glory? Let us remember that we are created unto good works, and that we are tools for God. We have no place to glory but to glory in God!
I hope this short blog has been a blessing to you as much as the message was to me. If you are doubting your worth in ministry, if you think that God can’t use you because you are weak, or you don’t have everything “figured out,” let me tell you that God can and wants to USE YOU!
C&YA, I am so thankful for all of you and I love each and every single one of you. Let us all humble ourselves and trust God to use us mightily to win Kansas City to Christ despite how we think of ourselves!
Bryan Khoo is a member of Midtown Baptist Temple and is a part of C&YA. He is a part of Friends of Internationals and the hospitality ministry. He leads a men’s Bible study with Friends of Internationals.
